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Facebook serves ads only in countries where it is actually profitable to do so. Why would this change?

joelrunyon 11y ago
You're assuming it's not profitable to run ads in 3rd world countries? Have you tried that? You're assuming that that won't change? Countries won't gain capital influence? You don't think that might affect spending habits & advertisers won't adjust? You really want to make that bet?
- evincarofautumn 11y ago
  I’m not assuming anything. I’m only stating a fact. It might very well change. If people don’t have disposable income, how could it be profitable to advertise to them? But if the country itself develops a stronger economy, sure, then it may become profitable to advertise to its people. And at that point, everybody is winning.
  - bad_user 11y ago
    Facts need references. > If people don’t have disposable income Oh, hold on there Bob, you've jumped from one assertion to another. What makes you think that people in third-world countries don't have disposable income?
  - joelrunyon 11y ago
    > Have you tried that? You didn't answer the question. Oftentimes, other languages or undeveloped areas are MORE profitable because there's less competition. Also, I laid out out how it might actually CHANGE - which was a direct response to your question "why would it change?" Now you're asserting it very well might change? I don't understand your argument.
    - crottypeter 11y ago
      Agree. Not only is there less competition, as the gate keeper of information you can suppress negative messages about the advertised products.
    - saint_fiasco 11y ago
      There is also less regulation. And there are also lots lots of people. And their economies grow much faster than the first world's. And they haven't yet maxed all their credit cards. The ammount of money that can be made in the thirld world is staggering. Another case of shlep blindness?
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    Interestingly third world countries tend to spend massively on consumer goods when you compare the relative income between developing countries versus non developing countries. This is probably related to the fact that they don't have quite a few of the items that those in other parts of the world take for granted. Mobile phones, refrigerators, television sets, household items of all shapes & sizes as well as vehicles are very high on the list of desirables and any substantial income tends to be converted into stuff. In countries where infrastructure is weak a mobile phone is a lot of things at once and so it tends to be very high on the list of things to acquire, a refrigerator (provided you have power regularly) is a way to save money and all the other things in that list signal 'status', something humans all over the world are sensitive to, the third world is definitely no exception in this respect. Even in non developing countries plenty of people spend money on stuff they can barely afford rather than on their health or the quality of their food.
  - imakesnowflakes 11y ago
    > If people don’t have disposable income, how could it be profitable to advertise to them? That is what credit cards are for..To buy things you don't really need, with money you don't really have...
vinay_ys 11y ago
I'm typing this from India. Facebook bombards us with Ads. We are the fastest growing economy of a billion people. It is crazy to think Facebook won't try to monetize this population.
hnnewguy 11y ago
It probably won't. But the list of countries that are "actually profitable" will.

You're assuming it's not profitable to run ads in 3rd world countries? Have you tried that? You're assuming that that won't change? Countries won't gain capital influence? You don't think that might affect spending habits & advertisers won't adjust? You really want to make that bet?

evincarofautumn 11y ago
I’m not assuming anything. I’m only stating a fact. It might very well change. If people don’t have disposable income, how could it be profitable to advertise to them? But if the country itself develops a stronger economy, sure, then it may become profitable to advertise to its people. And at that point, everybody is winning.
- bad_user 11y ago
  Facts need references. > If people don’t have disposable income Oh, hold on there Bob, you've jumped from one assertion to another. What makes you think that people in third-world countries don't have disposable income?
- joelrunyon 11y ago
  > Have you tried that? You didn't answer the question. Oftentimes, other languages or undeveloped areas are MORE profitable because there's less competition. Also, I laid out out how it might actually CHANGE - which was a direct response to your question "why would it change?" Now you're asserting it very well might change? I don't understand your argument.
  - crottypeter 11y ago
    Agree. Not only is there less competition, as the gate keeper of information you can suppress negative messages about the advertised products.
  - saint_fiasco 11y ago
    There is also less regulation. And there are also lots lots of people. And their economies grow much faster than the first world's. And they haven't yet maxed all their credit cards. The ammount of money that can be made in the thirld world is staggering. Another case of shlep blindness?
- jacquesm 11y ago
  Interestingly third world countries tend to spend massively on consumer goods when you compare the relative income between developing countries versus non developing countries. This is probably related to the fact that they don't have quite a few of the items that those in other parts of the world take for granted. Mobile phones, refrigerators, television sets, household items of all shapes & sizes as well as vehicles are very high on the list of desirables and any substantial income tends to be converted into stuff. In countries where infrastructure is weak a mobile phone is a lot of things at once and so it tends to be very high on the list of things to acquire, a refrigerator (provided you have power regularly) is a way to save money and all the other things in that list signal 'status', something humans all over the world are sensitive to, the third world is definitely no exception in this respect. Even in non developing countries plenty of people spend money on stuff they can barely afford rather than on their health or the quality of their food.
- imakesnowflakes 11y ago
  > If people don’t have disposable income, how could it be profitable to advertise to them? That is what credit cards are for..To buy things you don't really need, with money you don't really have...

vinay_ys 11y ago

I'm typing this from India. Facebook bombards us with Ads. We are the fastest growing economy of a billion people. It is crazy to think Facebook won't try to monetize this population.

hnnewguy 11y ago

It probably won't. But the list of countries that are "actually profitable" will.